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The joint was jumping. There was a definite buzz. MTS Centre was so loud that at one point the players didn’t hear the linesman’s whistle on an offside call and it led to a scuffle.

It was, dare we say, just like the old days … of 2012.

The Jets talked Tuesday morning about giving their fans a reason to get involved, and they did just that on Tuesday night with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Jets improved to 13-11-2 and are tied with the New York Rangers for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Interestingly, the Blueshirts will provide the opposition on Thursday night. And if the place is hopping like it was on Tuesday, the Jets might have a chance to start turning around their play at home.

There might have been more “Go Jets Go” chants on Tuesday night than there have been the entire season. There was plenty of extra-curricular activity after the whistle in the physical affair to keep the fans buzzing, too.

Evander Kane’s breakaway tally with 8:44 to go put the Jets up 4-1 and created a roar that hadn’t been heard at the downtown arena for quite some time. When Phil Kessel scored right after Blake Wheeler made it 5-1 later in the final frame, the fans chanted “Leafs still suck! Leafs still suck!” right on cue. They followed that up with “Let’s go Blue Jays!”

They even did the wave.

The whole night set the perfect tone for the Jets, who were 4-6 on home ice going into the game and will play 12 of their final 23 contests at MTS Centre. Now they just have to follow it up with more like Tuesday. Again. And again. And again.

“Playing on the road is tougher than playing at home, so we’ve established what we can do on the road,” said Wheeler, who scored his ninth and 10th goals of the season. “We’re a tough team to play against. We bring that home, and the sky’s the limit.”

Last year it seemed the Jets relied on the crowd to get them going when they needed it, but this year it’s the other way around. They came out hitting and skating and punching and slashing and cross-checking, and the fans ate it up.

Then when the Jets needed a boost, the fans were there for them the rest of the way.

“We had that intensity in our game that we need,” said captain Andrew Ladd, who fought Dion Phaneuf and hit everything that moved in the first period. “It’s a little easier in this building when they have that much energy going and we can feed off that.

“At key points of the game we had big moments … to get the crowd back in it. That was a big part of our win.”

So was Nik Antropov, who recorded his first three-point game with the Jets since that wild 9-8 victory over Philadelphia in October 2011. Antropov, who has been the target of much fan derision lately, was stellar against his former team. He was even a bit physical at times. His goal was a power-play tally that bounced off his leg to open the scoring, and it was only Winnipeg’s second marker with the man advantage in its last 17 games.

Head coach Claude Noel didn’t know what got into Antropov, but he sure liked it.

“Whatever it was we’re going to have to bottle it,” Noel said. “He was very good. When he played like that, he plays very determined. I don’t know if it was because it was the Leafs. But he wasn’t alone.”

No, he wasn’t. Ondrej Pavelec was superb between the pipes, and the penalty killers were the stars of the show six minutes into the second period when they terminated a 5-on-3 disadvantage that lasted for 1:54. Several players and Noel felt that was the turning point of the contest, that it frustrated the Leafs right out of the game and just added to the mojo that hadn’t been seen much in Winnipeg this season.

“That 5-on-3 was huge,” said Kane, whose top-shelf tally in the third sent Morweena’s James Reimer to the bench in favour of Ben Scrivens. “Wrighter and Slates were the two guys up front and Bogo and Ronny on the back. There were some big blocks and some great individual efforts out there.”

Translated from the nickname language, Kane was referring to James Wright, Jim Slater, Zach Bogosian and Ron Hainsey. And as long as the Jets can keep speaking the same language like they were on Tuesday night, there will be more nights like Tuesday night in the downtown barn over the next two months.

What do you think of fans who wear Leafs jerseys to Jets home games?

Jets-Leafs March 12, 2013

Fans cheer as Winnipeg Jets left winger Evander Kane celebrates his third period goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in NHL hockey in Winnipeg, Man. Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
BRIAN DONOGH/WINNIPEG SUN/QMI AGENCY

Winnipeg Jets right winger Chris Thorburn waits for a pass during the pre game skate prior to playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in NHL hockey in Winnipeg, Man. Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
BRIAN DONOGH/WINNIPEG SUN/QMI AGENCY

Winnipeg Jets left winger Evander Kane (l) is hugged by defenceman Zach Bogosian after scoring against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period of NHL hockey in Winnipeg, Man. Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
BRIAN DONOGH/WINNIPEG SUN/QMI AGENCY

Brian Donogh/Winnipeg Sun/QMI Agency

Winnipeg Jets center Kyle Wellwood fires a shot on net during the pre game skate prior to playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in NHL hockey in Winnipeg, Man. Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
BRIAN DONOGH/WINNIPEG SUN/QMI AGENCY